Enchong Dee is on top
With a top-rated 'teleserye,' a lead role in an upcoming primetime series, a hit movie in theaters today, and another Þlm next month, Enchong Dee is on top of his game.
Like a Roman emperor overseeing his subjects, Enchong Dee walks through his career path with a sure stride, knowing all his responsibilities as an actor and a celebrity. In this dog-eat-dog world where stars are made (and destroyed) in such a quick span of time, Enchong knows that he’s lucky with all the projects that are coming his way. Just as his teleserye Ina, Kapatid, Anak ended, he’s headlining a new one,
Muling Buksan Ang Puso, which is set to premiere this July. His film Four Sisters and a Wedding also premiered this week and another one, Tuhog with Eugene Domingo, will be released next month.
Enchong should certainly feel and live like a king now that his career is doing really well, but he’s not one to rest on his laurels. He’s getting more hands on when it comes to his projects, unlike before when he was relying on his managers to pick out what’s good for him. He’s not also scared that he’ll peak too soon, something that proves his surefooted approach in the direction that he’s taking.
We got to sit down with Enchong, despite his busy schedule, and talked about being vain, the probability of having a film in a prestigious film festival, and his responsibility to his fan clubs Ñ yes, plural. SUPREME: Is it true that youÕre vain? ENCHONG DEE: Very specific ako sa hair. Actually hindi ako naglalagay ng products on my hair, I rarely do. But kapag kailangan lang, saka ako naglalagay. Bago matulog, I make sure na walang make-up. Specific din ako sa sunblock. Well, simply because when I was still a swimmer, I used to get sunspots so careful na ako sa ganung parts na yun. When I was also swimming, I had yung mga an-an sa mukha. Especially now in the business conscious sila sa ganun, conscious na rin ako sa ganun. So if they’re gonna call it vain, yeah, I’m vain.
ThereÕs this guy, Robbie Antonio, who has a museum for his portraits done by high-caliber artists. Do you think thatÕs too much?
Ako I believe na kanya-kanyang trip din yan. Ako one day, actually sinabi ko kay Tito Keren [Pascual, his manager] I want to have a museum about me. Siguro, I don’t know if people are going to call this narcissism, but, alam mo yung you just want to share all the things that you’ve been through, all the achievements. More than patronizing yourself, it’s more of sharing with the public what we’ve become from the start.
Pag nagpunta kayo sa bahay namin we have what my mom calls, “Wall of Fame” kasi nandun yung mga posters ng shows, yung mga medals. Parang, you’re just gonna put all that stuff in one place tapos ipapakita mo especially sa mga fans kasi theyÕre wondering kung saan napupunta yung mga letters nila, yung mga gifts nila. I want to show them that I give importance to all that stuff.
Was there ever a point that you wished you just pursued your career in sports?
Maybe before. [Starting out], you don’t know where you’re going, you don’t know what’s going to be the result. Pero now I realized na eventually maghahanap at maghahanap ka rin ng trabaho mo and now you’re in this business which is very, well, aminin naman natin, lucrative. You’re in the business where you get to influence people, you get to inspire people. So now I just feel so blessed I landed this kind of job.
What do you think is your responsibility to your ten fan clubs?
Wow! ( Laughs.) I think it’s important to give them time. It’s important that you show them the truth, you tell them the truth. It’s important that you give value to their work. When they give gifts, I make sure I keep them. I make sure that I read their letters. You continue to appreciate them. Like in Instagram if they post something there, yung il-like mo lang, simple gestures, but I know it matters to them.
Do you still remember how you felt when your Þrst Þlm came out?
It feels like a graduation. Every after showing nagte- text kami [ ni Tito Keren] na we’ll never get used to this kind of stuff. Siguro it’s just the same thing when your first write-up came out na parang you just want to post it, you just want to show it to your parents. You’re very happy, you’re very proud and yung feeling na you want to improve more so that this kind of feeling, this kind of thing will happen to you again.
Piolo Pascual, Sam Milby and Gerald Anderson recently went to Cannes Film Festival for their Þlm On The Job. Do you ever plan on working on a movie that could be selected for a Þlm fest like Cannes?
Yeah, oo. Actually, kahit wala ako doon. Kahit tinitignan ko lang sa Instagram, it’s a proud moment for us actors especially for Star Magic artists kasi you have this contemporaries of yours who got to represent the Philippines with a very competent material. For a country dominated by romantic comedies, horror and comedies, ang sarap nung pakiramdam na we’re bringing something new to the market na action, suspense. We’re very excited because [some] people tell us na parang eto na lang yung material na laging nakikita namin. They’re changing the landscape of whatever’s going to happen in the near future.
Do you think youÕll be married at a young age?
With my mindset, no. I was talking to Maja [Salvador] nga the other day, sabi ko ‘ Shocks, Maja we’re getting older every day.” Sabi niya ‘ Yeah, we’re 24 this year parang so many things to do, so little time.” You want to save, you just want to do more, you want to squeeze everything in one day. If only there are 34 hours a day and 10 days a week it would’ve made my life more adventurous. You’ll have time to enjoy your work and enjoy your life at the same time kasi siyempre sa edad natin we want to travel, we want to meet new people, but we can’t do that because of our work.